Re- Steve Biko 40 Years On: Inspiration Beyond A Lifetime 40th Anniversary of the Death of Bantu Stephen Biko

South Africa – September 12th, 2017 marks the 40th anniversary of the murder of Bantu Stephen Biko in police detention. Steve Biko, who was born on December 18th, 1946, would have been in his 70th year. To commemorate the milestone, the Steve Biko Foundation has curated a series of events under the banner “Steve Biko 40 Years On: Inspiration Beyond A Lifetime”, in order to celebrate the life and legacy of the inspirational leader who died at the early age of thirty.

The 40th anniversary commemorative programme consists of a series of resuscitative comparative engagements that will mobilise South Africans and the global community to reflect on the advancement of human rights for all the peoples of the globe through Biko’s lens. Some of these activities include youth dialogues, the 18th Annual Steve Biko Memorial Lecture, social history engagements, exhibitions and performances, publications, a colloquium and sports activities.

As an indirect consequence, the Inspiration Beyond A Lifetime programme is designed heighten the visibility of both Biko the man, and Biko the inspired thinker. It will throw focus onto his legacy and onto the rationale and necessity of his Black Consciousness philosophy.

In line with the Foundation’s vision and mission, Inspiration Beyond A Lifetime is centred on exploring the influence and impact of Biko and the Black Consciousness ideology on contemporary South Africa, principally in the mostly intangible but extremely important sectors of Education, Arts, Culture and Heritage, of Economic Transformation and of Social Development.

The Steve Biko Foundation presents South Africa, the continent and the wider global community with an opportunity to take stock and reflect on Steve Biko’s legacy. As such, the Inspiration Beyond A Lifetime programme will additionally spotlight and commend sites of sustained Black Excellence, in order to inspire a new generation of pioneering individuals and institutions

With the Inspiration Beyond A Lifetime commemorative series of events, the Foundation seeks to rouse an individual and collective assessment of South Africa then and today. Utilising the impact of Biko’s teachings on contemporary South Africa – and indeed the world – SBF will unearth new insight on Biko and Black Consciousness while acknowledging a milestone in history.

The official commemorative activities will commence on the 8th September with the 18th Annual Steve Biko Memorial Lecture. Activities will continue right through to December 2017. For more details about the upcoming “Steve Biko 40 Years On: Inspiration Beyond a Lifetime”, commemorative events please see the below table of scheduled events:

For more information about the “Steve Biko 40 Years On: Inspiration Beyond a Lifetime” programme please contact the Steve Biko Foundation’s Senior Programmes Manager, Ms. Bokang Pooe, via email: bpooe@sbf.org.za or call 043 605 6757.

About the Steve Biko Foundation

The Steve Biko Foundation is a community development organization inspired by the legacy of Bantu Stephen Biko. The Foundation was established in 1998 and is dedicated to promoting the intangible aspects of development, namely identity, culture and values; the issues that speak to the soul of a nation.

The Foundation aims to intensify its efforts to strengthen democracy by championing dialogue, scholarship and programmes on the relationship between identity, agency, citizenship and social action.

The Foundation’s programmes focus on:
Consciousness – Who am I?
Community – Making a societal contribution; and
Core Skills – Skills development programmes for young people.

Alongside SBF’s public dialogue initiatives, interventions take place in the areas of Arts & Culture, Education, Sports & Enterprise Development. Much of this work takes place at the Steve Biko Centre in the Ginsberg Township of King William’s Town. In addition to training spaces, the Centre houses the Steve Biko Museum, Archives, Library and Conferencing facilities.

For more information about the Steve Biko Foundation contact Thando Sipuye via email: tsipuye@sbf.org.za or call 011 403 0310.

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